Our Journey
by Springs breath
Summary: What happens when high schools over? 5 years later and they find themselves back in NYC, but how does their journey continue? Life gets tough, but they'll get through it together
1. Prologue

**Hey ! Sooo this is my FIRST published fanfic, and I'd ADORE some feedback from you guys! This is going to be a Brittania, Finchel and Klaine with some minor Tika (Mike/Tina), and Quim (Sam/Quinn). At the moment I'm thinking this is gonna be close to/around 31 chapters :) feedback is muuuuuuccchhhooo appreciated!**

**I don't own glee or any of the CURRENT characters…. We have to see what I throw in here later on though! hahahaha**

**Oh and btw, this first chapter is the prologue it's basically Blaine, Tina, Sam and Brittany's graduations and then what Kurt is thinking before Blaine proposes so it's a taaaddd bit different then the show, but the actual proposal I'm not writing out 'cause ya'll should watch the ACTUAL episode and cause if you have seen the episode it's a bit redundant to rewrite it when I'm not changing anything involving the proposal itself. (That was already perfect)**

"Blaine Anderson."

Kurt cheered and beamed from the metal bleachers as his dad stomped and wooted. That was his boyfriend he thought proudly as Blaine crossed the raised platform and got his diploma. Valedictorian, only male cheerio, Glee club member...really though, he kind of carried that club, he was way better then most of them, Kurt thought fondly, but he still winced at the tough year they had without the previous seniors. Not such a bad transcript and certainly just rewards for all Kurt had planned for tonight.

That caused Kurt to smirk and then blush when Blaine made eye contact across the football field and raised one eyebrow in question. That would have to stay in his pants for now. God, living with Santana this year had _really_ rubbed off on him, now he was even starting to _think_ like her!

Kurt listened halfheartedly while almost every other senior was called, breaking his thoughts to cheer for his former Glee mates. His mind was primarily focused on his date planned for tonight and the almost sure proposal Blaine would pop. Kurt had to give him credit for trying, but he let far too many people in and Kurt was too perceptive to not have noticed. Knowing both of their pasts, and prospective futures, it most definitely included singing, which made now the obvious time to do it since the New Directions would be in town for the graduation. At this point the only thing Kurt didn't know was what song (although he could probably take a stab at it) and what his answer would be.

Sure, he loved Blaine and he knew they were soul mates, but he didn't know if he wanted to get married **now**. Of course, that had _nothing_ to do with how hypocritical it'd make him seem if they got married after not being on board for Finn and Rachel's wedding…. Okay maybe it influenced him a tinsy bit. They had a lifetime to tie the knot, yet if he said no Blaine would not only be hurt and crushed, he'd take it as a breakup. And god, he'd do anything to make Blaine happy, but what about him? What did he want? He certainly didn't want to lose Blaine.

Burt elbowed Kurt to wake him from his reverie as people started exiting the stands to congratulate the graduates. Kurt got to the field and pried Tina away from Mike long enough to hug and congratulate her. He didn't fail to notice their shared look. Please, couldn't any of them keep a secret? When he turned around, he saw Brittany and gave her a hug, whispering, "I'm so proud of you, Boo!"

With Santana as a roommate, he saw Brit a lot more when she came to visit. One time they got stuck at the house for a whole afternoon together when some snow hit and Santana and Rachel were working. They had talked for hours, and Kurt started to understand that Brit lived in a beautiful world he could never understand, and he was okay with that. He felt really bad for how he treated the precious cheerleader during high school, especially after all he went through. Unlike everyone else, Brittany's nicknames didn't have any ill-intent; she actually meant them as compliments.

He espied Sam and Quinn kissing out of the corner of his eye and decided to put that one off for now. Just as he started to worry that he had missed his boyfriend, two arms circled around his waist and two perfect lips kissed his neck, murmuring, "Hello, beautiful."

Kurt melted a little on the inside to finally hear him again, but he slid away from him just enough to turn so they were facing each other. Pressing a soft kiss to his lips he whispered back, "congratulations, baby."

Blaine smiled devilishly against his lips, "thanks, can I have my present now? I don't know if I can wait for tonight with you looking like that."

Kurt whacked his arm, but his eyes darkened. "Are you sure you want to do this now?"

Just as Blaine started to assure him that he was unable to resist much longer , Kurt pulled away, "Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, hello!"

Blaine swiveled around to face his parents and tried to regain his composure, "Mom, Dad. You remember Kurt, my boyfriend?"

They both smiled politely, albeit a bit stiffly. Mrs. Anderson reached out and adjusted her son's graduation gown with a fond smile, "we are so proud of you, Blaine. Although we never really imagined you graduating from a public school in Lima, Ohio, we are proud of what you've done here. Congratulations, baby."

Kurt couldn't help but smirk at the irony of Mrs. Anderson using his same words, but in a totally different type of love. Now it was Blaine's turn to ever so slightly smack his hand that was resting ever so close to Kurt's. Blaine's dad patted his shoulder and said stiffly, "good job, son."

Even the small praise made his face break into a smile, which wrenched Kurt's heart. Blaine was so desperate for praise and love from his dad that he'd take any kind of scraps he was given. No child should be desperate for love. At that moment Kurt promised that their children would never feel that way. Wait, since when did he want kids?! His baby was his career, not an actual living, pooping, fragile baby. Ugh, it was this wedding talk, it was confusing his sleep-deprived brain.

Apparently, Blaine's brother was off at some gig in California that was 'too big to give up for a high school graduation', but at that moment a little girl popped out of nowhere and tackled Blaine in a huge hug. Kurt was guessing this was his little sister, Adelaide.

"Ally! No one told me you were here!" Blaine recovering quickly and swinging his sister around in a tight embrace.

She giggled mischievously, "That's because it was a surprise! I flew home a few days early to see you! I didn't want you to leave without saying goodbye," she smiled and peeked around her brother to see Kurt standing there, "plus I hear from Coop that you have a delicious boyfriend, and he did NOT exaggerate!"

Kurt must've blushed to his roots at the ten year olds compliment, because both of them giggled conspiratorially. He was a little scared to see the Anderson's reaction, it wasn't like they had been wearing rainbow shirts and joining in at Pride festivals, but they were trying. Thankfully both were talking to his father who had just caught up to them and didn't notice.

This was news, though, he had no idea that Adelaide was this supportive. Blaine rarely talked about his siblings, but when he did it basically boiled down to Cooper's an obnoxious, self-absorbed jerk, while Adelaide is a lively ten year old who goes to boarding school in France and lives with her grandmother there over the summer. It seemed to him that Adelaide is a lot more like Blaine and a lot less like Cooper. He watched with delighted surprise as the two caught up for the years they'd been apart, occasionally they'd brush or squeeze each others hand, as fit the story. Kurt was slightly jealous that even after having been apart for so long it was still so easy for them. They were so comfortable together!

Blaine looked at his boyfriend and raised his eyebrow in question to Kurt's wistful expression. Kurt shook his head slowly and smiled, this was Blaine's moment. They'd talk later.

Kurt turned around and decided that it was time to leave so he quickly kissed Blaine goodbye under the scrutinizing eye of his sister, promising to be ready at 7 for their date and then rescued his dad from the clutches of the Andersons. As they walked away, Kurt could hear Ally say solemnly, "he seems nice and he definitely looks nice, " here she giggled before continuing, "I'll give my blessing."

Apparently now there was a ten year old involved in his proposal. _I guess I'm going to be the last person on this Earth to know about my own proposal _he thought despairingly.

**so that's the prologue, but stick with me it'll get better... please R&R! **


	2. Chapter 1: life moves forward

**Chapter 1**

**We are back! yeaaaa, anyway so at this point it is five years in the future, both Blaine and Kurt have graduated from College. Kurt from NYADA and Blaine from NYU. A little AU is that Finn and Rachel did get engaged, but now Rachel went to NYADA with Kurt and now she graduated . Finn did go to college to teach after spending that time with the New Directions. So at this point Rachel moved back to Lima to live with Finn for his last year of college to become a teacher and they are planning their summer wedding. Here goes nothing! Basically this is 6 years after the prologue! (btw, the whole Chandelier thing never happened in this version…. yeah I'm sorry, but I have to take that out for this to work!)**

**Still don't own glee**

Kurt's phone buzzed on his table, making a slightly awkward start to his coffee 'outing'. "I'll-"

"Nah, answer it. I'm sure its important, considering who you are."

Kurt grinned abashedly before grabbing his phone and standing up to walk away from the table. "Thanks, its just a friend, actually. But I haven't talked to her in forever," he replied as he saw Rachel's picture pop up on the screen.

"Hey, Rach."

"OMG! Kuuuuuurttt!"

"Hi?"

"He PROPOSED!"

"Assuming 'he' still means Finn, aren't you two already engaged? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I remember this, cause Quinn got hit by a car and your dads were going to kidnap you…"

He could _hear _Rachel rolling her eyes, "Yes, technically he already proposed and we were-"

"-planning on waiting till you both finish college, considering last time. Yes, I know. So, Finn just decided to be Mr. Romantic and repropose?"

"No, I mean yes, it was romantic. But apparently there is a Statute of Limitation for an engagement, it's like 5 years. So ours had expired. But, hey his first proposal was romantic! We-"

"-sang an amazing duet and you swore that no stage would ever recreate that for you, I know! but wait, you guys got engaged right before Blaine and I…. so-"

"You aren't engaged either I guess. Huh, you should TOTALLY propose to him this time! I mean his was awfully romantic and all, but…. Hey, have you guys decided on a date yet?"

"No," Kurt hummed softly, "what about you two? I guess we have to come down for Finn's graduation, it'd be easier if you just did it then, when all of us will be in."

"That's what I was thinking. I want singing and dancing and EVERYTHING and my maybe I'll have an Old New Directions reunion performance at my wedding."

"Considering that this is you, Rachel Berry, I kind of already assumed that. If you do this around the time of the graduation, that only leaves us…." he quickly counted on his fingers and saw his slightly annoyed coworker who he'd completely forgotten about, "Oh my gosh! I have to go Rach! Call me later and we'll talk details, k? BYE."

He walked over to their table and grinned a little sheepishly, "Sorry my step-brother and best friend are getting married… I totally lost track of time."

The man across from him, grabbed his hand that was lying on the table and started to trace circles with his thumb. Then he brought it up to his hand and kissed the knuckles before replying fondly, "I know better than get between you and your fashion, Kurt Hummel. It's fine, really. I thought you left for a second, though. But we are here, together, _now_. Let's enjoy it, ok?"

Kurt nodded and smiled back a little dreamily. "Thanks, Austin."

"Thank you, sir. Yes, sir, I completely understand. It was an honor, sir, of course. Goodnight."

Blaine hung up the phone and ran his hand through his hair. He worked 7 to 7 most days and then came home to an empty apartment, because his fiancee had performances that normally were at night. He got home at 1 am most days and then left at 9 am again. Blaine of course knew that his beauty sleep was important so he let him rest, but it made him ache to never talk to or be with him anymore. Even in a nonsexual way, Blaine missed Kurt. First and foremost, Kurt was his best friend. Really, Blaine didn't even need to work, Kurt's income was enough to support them and still have plenty, but Blaine got bored. He had started his job before Kurt ever broke through. For years, Blaine's job supported them and he didn't want to quit just because Kurt succeeded.

He went into the kitchen and made some dinner for two, cleaning up the dishes as he went. He ate in silence and then made a plate with food for Kurt. As he turned to go to bed, per his usual routine, on a whim he left a note saying, "_I love you. Wake me up when you get home."_

He smiled and thought that maybe they could talk for once, he'd call in sick the next day and since he knew Kurt didn't have a performance, they'd have a _them _day. The more he thought about it as he prepared for sleep the more excited he got. Kurt loved spontaneous romance, and he knew that when he got home and told him his plan it'd make him happy. _It'd make both of them happy_ Blaine thought as he drifted off to sleep.

Kurt smiled when he read Austin's text as he pulled into his driveway.

_Great job tonight, I couldn't keep my eyes off of you. :) Meet me tomorrow for a walk in the park and dinner? Miss you_

He contemplated for a second, Blaine was going to be at work and he didn't have a performance, so why spend the day alone?

_Sure, see you then._

Immediately his phone buzzed back, _Great! I'll pick you up at 1, sweet dreams! _

He needed to sleep so he didn't bother responding, he knew from experience that if he did, Austin would just keep on texting him back. He was so tired from his performance that he decided to forgo the meal that Blaine put out, deciding that he'd clean it up tomorrow morning.

As he walked into the master bathroom, he showered and brushed his teeth before climbing onto the opposite side of their huge bed and curling up. Sleep washed over him, but not before he noticed Blaine's hand instinctively reached out and grabbed his. He hummed in contentment.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP

Blaine sleepily rubbed his eyes before looking at the alarm clock and shutting it off. _6:00 am_…. Kurt didn't wake him up. _oh._ Disappointment crashed down on him. Why didn't he wake him up? Did he have a performance that day, maybe there was a note for him in the kitchen. As he walked into the kitchenette/sunroom area, the phone sitting on the table went off and he picked it up. Thinking it was his, he answered it. Maybe his boss needed something, when working at a desk job as the COO, you never _aren't_ on call. He was startled to find that it was Kurt's and some number he didn't know was calling..

"Morning, gorgeous! I was thinking we could go to Little Italy for dinner? Its not super fancy or known, so you won't be recognized and last time we were there you made the most adorable mess stringing your cheese!"

Blaine let out a small gasp and hung up. His mind was reeling. This wasn't happening, not after what happened his senior year. Yet, he knew all of the symptoms and guiltshe of being a cheater and as much as made his stomach twist and his heartache, Kurt matched up. No, no, no. He knew they hadn't talked much lately and Kurt was being oddly distance, but Kurt would NEVER cheat. Instead he came to the conclusion that this must be one of those stalker people who get celebrities numbers, it was the price of fame. When the phone in his hand started to buzz, he decided to save Kurt the annoyment and just tell the guy to bug off.

"I'm sorry, I don't know you. Please don't call this number again."

"Oh! sorry I must have the wrong number, have a nice day!"

See, this made so much more sense. He took a steadying breath and chided himself for getting all worked up over nothing. Then a text came back, same guy and this time Blaine saw that it _was _a contact: Austin Rardre.

_You won't believe what I just did! I accidentally called the wrong number, some woman I think._

_Oh no he didn't_, Blaine thought before texting back.

_Still the wrong number, dude. _

_Sorry, I was positive this was my friend Kurt's number._

Blaine felt his face heat up and his throat start to close. This- .. he decided not to answer and to instead go talk to Kurt and get the whole story. There was going to be some obvious explanation, so he needed to be careful not to make accusations so that Kurt wouldn't get upset.

He sat down on their bed and looked at Kurt's peaceful face. _God, he was so beautiful,_ right then it hit him just _how _much he'd missed Kurt. Everything else out the window, he laid down beside Kurt and softly kissed him lips before brushing his hair out of his face with the backside of his hand. Kurt stirred a little and his eyelids fluttered open. As soon as he recognized Blaine his eyes opened wide and then his gaze went to the alarm clock. "God! Blaine you have to go its like 7:30! You're late!"

But when Kurt looked back at Blaine he was just smiling, "I took the day off, I wanted to spend some time with you. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

He wrapped his arms around Kurt and slowly started to kiss his jawline. Kurt was caught off guard but slowly started to melt under Blaine's kisses. "Didn't you get my note last night? I left it by your food"

Kurt made some noise of negativity because Blaine just whispered against his exposed neck, "why, baby?"

Before he could answer or form some coherent thought, Blaine started to kiss him again, soundly.

Kurt pulled back when the sheets started to slip and he felt Blaine's bare chest against his. "I didn't eat last night, -ah-ah… too tired."

"Ohh, thats why you didn't wake me up," Blaine mumbled as he lazily started rubbing Kurt's back. He pulled them a little closer together and then he saw _his_ phone on the bedside table and he remembered. "Kurt, uh baby- who is Austin?"

Immediately Kurt pulled back to look at him square in the face. "Why?" he questioned through narrowed.

Anger swelled in Blaine, Kurt's reaction was the proof he couldn't deny. "Because he called and was quite flirty, telling me all about how you should go to Little Italy for dinner because LAST time you were so ADORABLE. But when I told him he had the wrong number, he texted you. "

Kurt saw the hurt flash through Blaine's eyes and he saw the tears start to pool, but he was nowhere near ready to back down. "you had NO right to go through my phone!"

"Why do I need a right?! Everything that you have on there shouldn't bring ANY guilt for me to read!"

"There is such a thing as PRIVACY, though, Blaine! But obviously you don't trust me OR respect boundaries!"

"I thought it was MY phone and that MY boss was calling!"

"Your boss is CONSTANLY calling! Even if it's my _birthday_ and we are out, somehow work always comes first for you!"

Somehow as they got madder, they had both rolled out of bed. Now they were full out yelling as they pulled clothes on, each on either side of the bed. Blaine stopped at Kurt's comment and stood there, still as a board, hurt etched across his face, but anger and distrust were creeping in there too now.

"Even if you did think it was your boss, that still gives you no right! When you saw it wasnt you should've put it down!" Kurt was furious, _he _didn't understand why he was feeling so guilty. Austin was just a good friend who made him feel good, right?

"I should have the ONLY right! I am your FIANCEE!"

"No you're NOT!"

Oops, he should NOT have said that! Blaine's voice was hardly above a whisper, "what?"

Kurt looked at him calmly and braced himself, "the Statute of Limitations has expired on our engagement. Rachel just told me yesterday. Technically, we aren't engaged."

Blaine had absolutely no expression on his face as he turned around and walked out and that's how Kurt knew _just how much_ he was hurt. He was in shutdown mode, he'd work till he was numb and avoid Kurt till something changed. The only other time this had happened had been when his dad had died of cancer a year ago. Kurt suggested after a couple months of crying, that he take a shower and try to go back to work, to get in a routine again. Blaine snapped, telling him how if it had been _his dad who died_ he wouldn't want to do anything but cry. It took Kurt singing _I Have Nothing_ by Whitney Houston to him for him to talk again and that was the last time they had really sat down and talked. After that Blaine threw himself into his work to forget and Kurt broke through.

Kurt's phone buzzed and that's when remembered Austin. He sent him a quick text:

_I have to cancel our plans for tonight, sorry_

He felt kind of bad, but obviously things had gotten a little out of hand between him and Blaine.

_Kurt?_

oh, yeah…. He kind of forgot that Austin was the stem of this whole arguement.

_Sorry, that was ….. a friend earlier. _

He didn't want to type fiancee since they weren't technically engaged, but if he was honest with himself there was another reason, too.

As he set his phone down he turned to go try to talk to Blaine though he didn't think it'd do much good. This was beyond the repair of 'I love you, I'm sorry.'

"Knock, knock. can I come in?"

Blaine was sitting at his desk with his laptop open and his face never left the screen. Kurt took it as a yes and sat down on the seat next to the computer chair. He reached to put his hands on Blaine's leg after several moments of silence, "I love you."

Blaine turned and said one simple thing before getting up to leave, "you _cheated _on me."

His voice was devoid of emotion and only his eyes showed the hurt that he obviously felt. Kurts eyes closed of their own accord and two single tears rolled down his face. He sat straight backed and unmoving as silent, beautiful tears rolled one after another down his cheek. It wasn't the heaving, messy cry that you cry when someone you loves dies or the small, runny nose tears you get when you watch a sad movie, they were completely silent, the kind you cry when you don't know exactly what to do. Its the tears of loss and extreme regret.

As Kurt got up to just go back to bed, the house phone buzzed. Planning on ignoring it since it was probably Austin, he stopped when he heard Blaine pick it up and say, "Hi Rachel. Yeah, this is Blaine. Let me get Kurt."

He handed a stunned Kurt the phone as he walked back to the couch. Reluctantly putting the phone to his ear, he greeted her, "Hey, Rach. How's the wedding planning go?"

His voice must have come out a lot more broken and scratchy then he intended.

"Kurt! What's going on? Blaine didn't sound like his usual self and you sound heartbroken! Oh my gosh, did you propose and he said no-"

"No, Rach," his face crumpled and he closed the bedroom door behind him before breaking down. He told her everything, his guilt about what developed into cheating and how he didn't know what to do. She listened patiently while he described their fight and his confused feelings towards Austin. Then just like the more grown up Rachel of now, she suggested a solution, "well our wedding and Finn's graduation is in 4 weeks. If you can get by until then, I suggest you woo him. When you guys come here, try to bring back the memories of your times here in high school."

Kurt nodded mutely before realizing she couldn't see him, "Thanks, Rachel. I feel so bad, after that all that we went through his senior-"

"Shhh, I know hon'. But, believe it or not, Blaine still loves you. Its hard, but love isn't broken that easily. Both of you cheated, that doesn't mean this relationship is over, though. I mean look at Finn and I! God knows we have a dysfunctional past. Gosh, he cheated on Quinn with me and then I cheated on him with Puck, then he cheated on me with Quinn and again he cheated on Quinn with me when we thought she was cheating on him with Sam! Not to mention the innumerable hurts we caused each other when we _weren't _dating! It'll be alright, remember what Blaine told you? You guys are endgame."

Kurt laughed a little through his now drying tears, "Rach, I'm pretty sure _Finn_ told _you_ that at Mr. Schue's wedding disaster hook up."

As an after though he added quietly and still a little brokenly, "you forgot Jesse."

Rachel laughed into the receiver as the memory came back to her, "oh yeah! oops, I guess that was us. One of his more romantic moments, I guess that's why it seemed more like you guys! Ah, Kurt, Jesse St. James was a mistake. He was the rebound guy, someone who made me feel good cause I didn't think that Finn appreciated me," she paused a moment to let that sink in, "well, I gotta go. You're gonna get through this, though and when you come visit we'll all go crash at Mike and Tina's and kick Mike out for some quality time. Me, you, Tina, and Mercedes, sound good?"

"That sounds amazing. Bye, and thanks again. I love you."

"I love you too, Kurt Hummel. Don't you forget it either!"

The rest of the day passed with Kurt sitting in the bedroom listening to Blaine breathe on the other side of the wall, not realizing he was doing the same. They both fell asleep to the sound of the other breathing right next door.

**Omg guys! Thanks for all the reviews and follows! **

**Finchelfan728 - thanks! I really didn't like how they didn't show much of his thought process, and knowing Kurts character, I knew there was a TON of thought behind hs decision. **

**Please keep reviewing! I know that this chapter is a little longer and that I went more canon, but personally I like longer chapters better. Review and let me know what you think or if you are confused about what happened. Basically, though, the chandelier thing never happened, but Blaine did cheat when Kurt went to NYC. **

**Love you all! R&R, it seriously like makes my day! 3**


	3. Chapter 2: the risk of love

**Chapter 2**

**I'm baaaaccck! Hello, lovelies! So at this point, I'll brush over some of the four weeks before they head back to Lima, but mostly it will focus on Lima and stuff. Speaking of, I'm considering bumping up the rating to M, and **_**possibly**_ **adding in some more …. intimate… scenes. Let me know what you think of the idea, as always. Anyways, thanks for being awesome and Following and Favoriting! :3 **

**Christmas is coming up and it may be a while after I post another chapter once it gets closer, but I can promise at least **_**one**_ **chapter a week except for the week of christmas, I don't know about then.**

**So I adoooorre your feedback and since I have two faithful reviewers, shout out to Raven and Finchelfan00 for being amazing! Love you two! Please, **_**please**_ **review! It helps me write faster! :)**

**I still don't own Glee :( (But it would be an amazing christmas present ;) )**

Kurt heard some shuffling and slowly opened his eyes, but closed them again at the light filtering in from the open blinds. He rubbed his eyes and turned to face the other side of the room, _Blaine's half of the bed._

He could feel the tear pricks behind his eyes, but refused to let them fall. His eyes finally adjusted enough to see, and what he saw took his breath away. Blaine was standing in front of his dresser, with his back to Kurt and getting changed. At the moment he was shirtless and pulling up his pants. _He truly is gorgeous _Kurt thought with regret. All he wanted to do at this point was reach out, pull him back to bed and make him late for work. His body responded before his mind could catch up, but as he moved across the bed the cold sheets brought him back to reality. Blaine slept on the couch last night, and all of the sudden everything came crashing back onto Kurt. They hadn't spoken to each other in a week and a half. Not a 'good morning' or a 'good night'. It wasn't a hard thing to pull off either, their schedules were so different that they had to make an effort to be together. That's what started their whole situation in the first place. Kurt had cut off Austin after his discussion with Rachel. He told him everything and told him they couldn't be friends.

He had realized when he woke up the next morning that it was _Blaine. _Even though Rachel had misremembered, her advice had been spot on; _they were endgame._ He knew that and Blaine knew that, he just had to remind Blaine that he knew that. Kurt had deliberated a little bit whether to remain friends with Austin, but decided it was better just to cut him out of their life altogether. When he looked in to the future he saw Blaine holding his hand and laughing at him with that goofy grin. He didn't need to think too hard to realize that his life would be perfectly complete and happy without Austin in it. All he needed was Blaine, and if keeping Austin meant giving up Blaine, then the choice was an easy one.

Kurt decided to just pretend to sleep, so they could avoid an angry Blaine stomping out and leaving him without a word. It might have been selfish but he didn't think he could stand to see the hurt flash across his face again, didn't think he could manage to keep himself from breaking down and crying with those eyes full of hurt and distrust gazing upon him. So he didn't, he kept up with Blaine's new routine and bided his time until Lima. He planned, he hoped and he dreamed of Blaine back in his arms.

Blaine looked at him and couldn't help but let his mask break a little so that Kurt could really _see _how much this had _hurt him_. He knew he wasn't sleeping, he wasn't stupid. They'd been together for over 6 years, and he knew Kurt better than himself. He grabbed his bags and left. Work was his escape at the moment and what he needed most was to forget what was going on between Kurt and him.

He looked down at his calendar as he entered the office and saw that in almost no time at all they were bound to go to home to Lima for Finn's graduation and wedding, too now. Kurt had bought the plane tickets months ago and at this point, Blaine knew there was no way he was getting out of it. Maybe he could escape for a bit to talk to Mike while they were there. Mike and Blaine had been good friends since the day that Blaine transferred. As the only other guy in Glee who could dance _at all_, they'd had at least one thing to bond over, but really they had a ton in common. Mike was great at listening to Blaine when he got worked up and then almost as good if not just as good as Kurt at calming him down. He offered great advice, with the perfect amount of humor to lighten any situation. He didn't like to sing too much, but that was fine since Blaine could sing till the rooster crowed. Once Mike had told him that if he was gay, he probably would've been his boyfriend. They'd laughed until everyone else at the Lima Bean gave them weirded out looks. Even then it was hard to repress the grins, they were just close enough and secure enough in their relationships that it wasn't awkward. _At least they __**had**_ _both been secure in their relationships._

Blaine looked at his phone again and sent a quick text to Mike.

**Sent to Mike:**

_Are you going to be in Lima for the grad/wedding?_

It was a little while till he responded, but even longer till Blaine came out of his meeting and checked his phone.

**Received from Mike:**

_Yeah, and I'm assuming you will too?_

That was one of the things Blaine missed about Mike. Unlike everyone else, he didn't couple Blaine and Kurt together in everything. He treated them like individual people, and not one body.

**Sent to Mike:**

_Yeah, can we talk then?_

**Received from Mike:**

_Of course, my apartment?_

**Sent to Mike:**

_That's fine, see you then_

Unlike Kurt and Blaine, Tina and Mike had moved back to Ohio after college. Mike had decided he didn't like the travel aspect of big time dancing or the annoying managers, so he had decided to just open his own studio. Tina worked with Mr. Shue to help choreography. He was awful at dancing and Tina had picked up a thing or two from Mike, not to mention her own talent at singing. She was the new Ms. Holiday, except that she wasnt sleeping with Mr. Schuester. The kids adored the fact that she kept them from constantly doing classic rock, and that she often made Mr. Schue switch up who was doing what leads, so that no one felt like they were just oohing and ahhing. They had all learned their senior year that Glee was about so much more.

When Mike left for college and Tina was heartbroken, but they'd gotten close and after she graduated Blaine pushed her toward Mike. Somehow after that he had stayed together, with rough spots here and there. Nothing that they hadn't gotten through together though. Blaine shook his head and tried to focus on his work again.

Nothing had changed in Lima, from Breadstix right down to the homophobes. It almost made Blaine want to reach out and kiss Kurt, _almost. _As they exited the terminal and headed to the pick up line Kurt whispered, "_Courage." _

It made Blaine's heart swell even more for this beautiful boy next to him. He knew that Blaine was feeling uncomfortable with all the nasty glances being thrown their way and used _their _word. Too late he tried to repress his feelings, but Kurt had already seen the love and thanks on his face. Kurt looked down and smiled, Lima might be awful about its LGBT acceptance, but there was a magic about being back at where they began that was softening Blaine.

Burt pulled up and engulfed them both in one huge bear hug, which made both of them a little too close for comfort since their fight. "My boys are back," he said with a huge grin.

They both smiled and tried to as subtly as possible avoid physical contact, which meant Kurt sitting up front and Blaine sitting in the backseat. Burt gave one sad look at Kurt and drove. Silence fell upon the car, allowing Kurt to think, _obviously my dad knows, but who told him? I don't imagine Blaine told anyone and I only told Rachel…. Rachel._ It all made sense then, obviously Rachel told Finn and Finn told Burt and Carole because he was worried they'd break up. Sadly, that didn't seem to far from what might happen. He shook his head and reminded himself of his plan. This would work, it _had_ to, 'because if Kurt lost Blaine… life wouldn't be worth living.

Carole greeted them all at the door and helped them inside, giving them each a warm smile, a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Finn wasn't far behind her, he came out of the kitchen when he heard them and gave Kurt a huge hug, "good to have you home, bro."

he shook hands with Blaine, obviously not sure where he stood and not wanting to hurt Kurt. Kurt appreciated the effort but the look of hurt that passed Blaine's face did spare him anything. He kept going through the house, on his way down to his room. Suddenly the kitchen door burst open, narrowly avoiding hitting him in the face and he was thrown off balance when a petite little brunette tackled him in a hug.

"_Kurt!"_ Rachel squealed in excitement.

He dropped his bags and wrapped his arms around her, taking comfort in her whispered, "I missed you, we'll talk soon, ok?"

He nodded a little tearily and she grabbed his hands, a delighted look on her face. "I'm getting_married!"_

Even though he definitely wasn't in the mood, Kurt jumped up and down and squealed with her. This was her moment and although he needed her, she needed him just as much. He tried to shake off his emotional distraught self and told her a little teasingly, "took you long enough!"

She sent a fake glare at Burt and Carole, responding, "we had some obstacles."

Everyone laughed, remembering their last attempt at a wedding. "Let's not repeat that okay?"

Burt and Carole, who had their arms around each other on the other side of the room, laughed. "No regrets!" Carole called with a grin, and Burt added, "yeah, you two were way too young!"

Finn commented, "what? would you have rathered we pull a Kurt and Blaine and get engaged but never married?"

Everyone stopped and the room got deadly quiet. To his credit, Finn looked a little ashamed. Blaine got up and forced a smile, "Im going to head on downstairs. It was a long flight, I'll just head to bed early."

Carole tried to protest, but in a very un-Blaine like manner, he completely ignored her and just kept walking. Kurt saw the hurt flash in Carole's eyes so he quickly walked over and embraced her. She pulled him to her tightly, a small tear escaping her closed eyes. "I am so sorry, Kurt."

And he knew exactly what she meant, she wasn't apologising for Finn, she was a firm believer that he needed to fix thing and apologise himself. She was telling him that she was sorry that this was what his life had become. She was sorry that they were in this messy situation and she was sorry she couldn't fix it for him.

He nodded mutely and pulled back, smiling through his tears. "I'm going to head down too, guys. Thanks so much for letting us stay here, Dad and Carole. We're," he winced and corrected himself, "- I'm really excited for you, Rachel and Finn. I'll see you tomorrow."

Rachel pulled him into a quick hug as he passed her to head down to his room,_and Blaine._

Walking softly so as not to wake Blaine, Kurt was surprised to see Blaine sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hand. It was obvious from his body language, that Blaine felt awful. Kurt continued to walk softly and then knelt in front of Blaine, taking his hands and pressing them to Kurt's cheek. Blaine, for the first time in weeks, looked up into Kurt's eyes and stayed put.

That sat like that for a minute or two, both of them soaking up the warmth of each other and the missed skin-to-skin contact. Kurt started to feel uncomfortable crouched in front of Blaine, so he moved to sit next to him on the bed and surprisingly Blaine turned so they were still facing each other. Kurt let their hands fall to his lap, expecting Blaine to move them and glad when he didn't.

Trying to conceal his shock, Kurt choose to instead let his happiness and love shine through. "Im so sorry, Blaine. I know that can't fix this and I know that this won't fix easily. But that day, when-" Kurt swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his eyes, trying to avoid looking at the inevitable hurt in Blaine's eyes, "when you found out, I thought about what makes _me_ happy."

He quickly continued so that Blaine wouldn't get the wrong idea, "I thought about what in _my__ life_ brings me joy. And what in my future will make me happy. There were a lot of variables; kids, broadway, fashion, my dad's health. But the one indefinite."

Kurt finally opened his eyes and looked at Blaine, allowing one small tear to escape as he said brokenly, "was you. In every scenario that I could think of where I was _actually happy_, you were there holding my hand, loving me," he allowed his gaze to fall back down to his lap as he drew soft patterns with his thumb on Blaine's hand.

"You with a little curly haired boy, you standing next to me at the Tony's... you with me at ..._our wedding_."

He whispered the last part, but Blaine still wasn't saying anything. "I- I, um, cut Austin out of my life. I, uh, realized that keeping him meant losing you, it meant losing _us._ It was possible that I could've had a happy future with Austin in it, but I can't have one _without you._ So, I made my choice. I know it isn't a lot, but Blaine, I can't live without you. This hell that we've been living in since your dad died; this isn't life, this isn't _us._"

When he looked up from their entwined hands, Blaine was looking away and tears were in his eyes. "Please, Blaine. Say something."

"Did you kiss him?"

Kurt looked at him in confusion, "No, no. it wasn't even physical like that. I don't think it ever really registered with me that what I was doing was cheating, or if it did I ignored it, because the thought of hurting you, it _literally hurts me._"

Blaine finally turned to look at him, "I'm scared, Kurt. We've been through a lot, but the last few weeks. I didn't _want_ to live. I can't put myself in a position where I feel like that again."

Kurt reached up and stroked the tears off Blaine's cheek, even once they were gone he didn't remove his hand, "Oh, baby. I know, it- it was hard," he paused a second and continued with a soft smile, "You know what my dad told me that night that you proposed to me? He told me that when you love someone, it's always gonna be a risk. There are no definites in love, except that my life would be a hell of a lot worse without you."

Blaine chuckled a bit and then pulled Kurt up with him as he stood. Pulling Kurt close, he whispered, "We can do this, right? We can fix our life-"

"And live happily ever after. Yeah, yeah. We can do anything, as long as we are _together._"

They slept cuddled together that night, both getting restful sleep for the first time in months.

**Stick with me! I know that Burt didn't _actually_ say that, but it seems like something his character WOULD say and it went well, so ... :) yeah, anyway that wasn't my longest or best chapter, but I have a TON planned for the next one and I couldn't clump it all together! First I wanna take a second to celebrate 400 reads from 30 different countries! Woohoo! I'm only on chapter 2, too (3 technically ... but whose counting?) Anyway, I hear wedding bells and I need some song suggestions! Plus the next part is suuuuper long and I need to get started ASAP, so R&R my dears! 3**

**oh an BTW, Raven- I have toooonnns of plans for them! You didn't think I'd pull a Ryan Murphy and just break up the main couple but continue the story, did you? hahaha, but seriously it was just as hard for me to write their fights and _almost_ break up as I (HOPE) it was for you to read! I love Klaine too much to just utterly destroy them! ;) but other couples... bwhahahaha**


	4. Chapter 3: love brings us together

**Chapter 3**

**Bonjour, dearies! I've got a new chapter! Sorry for the delay, turns out bronchitis doesn't stay away just because you have an update you need to write… :/ Anyway, so I love the feedback I got from last chapter and I wanna take a second to respond to that!**

**Guest reviewer: of course thats not going to be the end of that! :D I definitely appreciate the reminder, and I was thinking the same thing. On the other hand, this fanfic is not revolving completely around this fight, I have a TON more planned!**

**Raven: Thanks again for reviewing! I don't really wanna do Come What May for klaine because its already been done, but I'm thinking about doing I'll Cover You and possibly When I First Saw from dreamgirls. I will definitely take your suggestion into consideration, I agree that it can be somewhat awkward to read (as well as write!) I AM going to write Finchel wedding so you'll see who the groomsmen and bridesmaids are then! And as to who I shall breakup, well thats in the future!**

**Alright, now back to what you all ACTUALLY want to see! Of course, I still don't own Glee **

Blaine looked over at the sleeping form next to him. He wanted to forgive Kurt so much, but at the moment, he just couldn't. Every time he looked at him, he saw that other guy, sometimes a gorgeous model and sometimes an ugly monster in his imagination. It hurt, at the moment what he need was a pause in their relationship. Distance was the only thing that would rejuvenate their relationship, he was sure.

Deciding he would take this time to take a shower he reached up to scratch his chin, and added shaving to that list. The feel of the water droplets against his bare skin allowed him the clarity to think about their relationship. Like he'd been trying to tell Kurt last night, jumping back into their relationship was suicide. Their fight wasn't the only thing that they needed to fix, their relationship had been slowly eroding since his dads death. They hadn't kept their relationship strong and steady when things got tough, so how were they gonna hold up when things got tough again?

Sure they lasted through high school, but that was nothing compared to the real world. They had great communication then, but honestly? Blaine knew he was a different person now, and he didn't know if Kurt knew that person. He needed space and if he decided that he thought that they might work, then they needed to start at the beginning.

The soap suds slipped through his hair as he ignored the stirring in the bedroom.

Kurt heard the shower running and smiled to himself, things were going to be okay. He had made up with Blaine and they were going to be okay. It brought up memories of Santana and Rachels duet _Be Okay_. Getting out of bed, he looked around and saw that they hadn't unpacked, so in an effort to still his racing thoughts he started refolding and putting away clothes. If they were staying here for almost a month, why keep everything in a suitcase?

It wasn't until Rachel came down the steps and started singing the words, that he realized he'd been unconsciously humming the tune.

_Can't complain about much these days, I believe we'll be okay,_

_Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh._

_Can't complain about much these days, I believe we'll be okay,_

_Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh._

_We're screaming out, I believe we'll be okay._

Rachel came up behind him and put her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on hers, as he joined in.

_Sun kissed skin on my lips,_

_Thank the Lord I am here and now, here and now._

_Fireflies after dark,_

_Bless your soul, we are here and now, here and no_

By the time Rachel's voice was softly fading away, Kurt had tears freely flowing down his face. He reached his arm behind him to tug her close, "I love you, Rachel Berry."

"Not for long," she whispered wistfully.

He turned to show her his confused expression and and she quickly amended her statement, "you won't love Rachel Berry for long," at his now horrified look, she added with a sigh, "you will, hopefully, love Rachel Hudson."

He cast her a look full of sass that obviously said 'really!?'

"My point is that you you and Blaine are different people now, and that's okay. While you two were having your '_communication_' problems, you both continued to grow as people. You can't fix this with an apology and and a heartfelt song, Kurt. This is a relationship, and what both Finn and I have been learning these past few months is that a relationship is about so much more than romance! It's something that lives and grows with you as time passes. True soul mates are in love and compatible with each other in every form of themselves, but part of a healthy relationship is growing _together."_

Kurt disentangled himself from their embrace and moved over to sit on the edge of the bed. He looked dumbstruck as he took in her words. She moved to rub soothing circles on his back, knowing that now was a time to remain silent and let her words sink in. After a couple minutes of silence, Rachel heard the shower cut off. She told Kurt that she was going to get him some tea. Knowing that he wasn't going to register anything, she didn't wait for a nod or word word of affirmation before heading up the stairs

Kurt didn't look up when the bathroom door opened, and he didn't look up when Blaine walk out in a towel, and he didn't look up when someone sat on the bed next to him. It wasn't until he heard his name that he looked up and saw those piercing hazel eyes.

"We can't do this."

He could feel the pricks behind his eyes, but he gave up on trying to hold back the tears. "_Us,_ we can't do _us._ I know I said I never would, but Blaine, I'm giving up. We are completely different people. We just aren't going to work. I feel in love with the goofy, dashing warbler and you just aren't that person anymore. It's not fair to expect you to be."

By this point he was desperately wishing Blaine would stop him, but his slow nodding just crushed his spirits and made him more determined to finish. "I don't think I even know who you are anymore. I think," his voice broke, so he tried to swallow the lump in his throat, "we need to break up."

"No."

He turned to look at Blaine with red rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks. The man looked at him with such a fierce determination that he was stupefied.

"I know you, Kurt. And although something has convinced you different, you know me as well. You don't need to know what I look like or what my new favorite dessert is, you know my soul. Remember what I told you when I proposed?"

Not even realizing it was a rhetorical question, he answered, "It never felt like I was getting to know you. It always felt like I was remembering you."

"Exactly, this relationship is so much strong than what we are going through right now. It is built upon destiny, because our souls know each other. They will _always_ know each other, they will always be in love. _This _is the real deal. _We are the real deal._"

Kurt realized that he'd been nodding and suddenly his steely determination came back. All of Rachel's advice came back, "no, Blaine. This is bigger than an apology and a heartfelt apology, I feel like I _don't know you!_"

Tears were running down his cheek and he probably looked like a mess, but he continued, "do you know how scary that is? Waking up and realizing that the boy next to you, who is supposed to be your _soulmate_, doesn't even know you anymore?"

Blaine bite back a reply as he realized that this was exactly what he had told himself in the shower. _Why does it feel so wrong then?_ He just nodded, "as you wish."

He moved over to grab his untouched suitcase and went up the stairs. Kurt just sat there, pain etched in every feature of his face, trying to tell himself this was the right thing to do.

A week later Rachel walked down into the basement to find an unshowered, unlotioned, unshaved and just overall disgusting Kurt watching and rewatching _Princess Bride_.

"Kurt…"

_Sniffle_.

"Kurt.. we are having girls night tonight, remember?"

_Sniffle. _

"Come on, " she grabbed his arm, and and started to pull him towards the bathroom, "we have an hour, if we hurry we might be able to make you presentable by then."

He pulled away and back looked at the TV through bloodshot eyes. "Rachel, stop. I just want to stay here."

"KURT ELIZABETH HUMMEL! I know this was a terrible, awful break up for you. But that does NOT give you the right to ruin my plans or to skip out on girl time! Everyone rearranged _their lives_ to come be here for you, because they knew you would need them. It is about time you got off this couch and stopped wallowing in your misery. If you don't like the way things are, change them! But STOP killing my wedding mood. you aren't the only one with feelings," she she sniffled and continued a little quieter, "I wanted my best friend here to help me plan the happiest day of my life."

He stood up with a dumbfounded expression on his face, "oh my gosh, Rach. I'm so sorry, I've been so selfish. This hasn't been easy for me, but it was mean and selfish and rude of me to make it hard for you too. Let me shower and shave and we'll go to girls night. It will be good for me to stop thinking about him."

She nodded and left him to get ready. As she entered the kitchen, she spied Finn standing in front of the window with concern clear on his face. Coming up behind him, her arms circled around his waist and she rested her chin on his back.

"I'm worried about him, Rachel. Blaine and him have been together for so long, I think he feels like Blaine is part of his identity. But how do you help someone who doesn't want to help himself?"

Gently Rachel kissed his back as she considered his question. "You don't, Love. I think that's what made their relationship become so unhealthy. They stopped being individuals, and they weren't communicating well as a we either. They need to find themselves, and when they do they'll find each other. We just have to stand back and let it happen."

"Yeah, you're right. Roots before branches, right?

She smile before replying, "I knew I was marrying you for your memory."

**Sent to: Mike**

_Meet me at breadstixs?_

_**Received from: **_**Mike**

_Sure, be there in 10. Everything alright? _

Blaine contemplated sending back a 'no' but he didn't, it was too complicated of a situation to text about. As he walked in, he grabbed their regular booth. Ghosts walked around as he saw all the good, and bad, times they'd had here. Their performance of _Love Shack _came to mind, as did his tacky eye patch that he thought would make him look 'rugged'. He chuckled a little at his high school self, almost wishing he still had the chance to romance Kurt that way. Mike walked him and sat in the seat across from him, clasping his arm affectionately.

"Dude, its been _way _too long," he paused at Blaine's forced smile and leaned back, attempting to read his friends face, "what's happened?"

The unsaid 'between you and Kurt' hung between them. Blaine looked down at this hands that were resting on the table, trying to not sound too desperate.

"We had a huge fight. He cheated on me and we broke up. We decided we were just too different now," he tried to make it sound casual by adding a shrug in at the end.

When he finally looked up at Mike, he was looking at him through narrowed eyes with a disappointed look on his face.

"You're disappointed," he blurted out in surprise.

Mike shook his head at him, "You love him."

Starting to get angry, Blaine spit out, "he _cheated _on me!"

"Do you remember nothing! You sound like such a _hypocrite!_ _YOU cheated on him, too!"_

Blaine let his wall come back up, apparently Mike wasn't as good as a friend as he thought.

Mike shook his head, then scratched the back of his neck, "you two are _sooo_ much more than this! Do I need to remind you of the crap you have been through? What about his support when you lost your dad?"

That was a slap in the face, and Mike knew it. He attempted to apologize, but Blaine grabbed his coat and walked out.

"Hey!" Mercedes offered a hug that lasted a little longer than 'its been so long' feelings.

Apparently Rachel had told them all, Kurt surmised. He couldn't stand the pity in their eyes. The only hug he truly appreciated was Brit's, because unlike everyone else her's really was an I-missed-you hug. Trying to turning the attention away from him didn't last long, and that was saying something for being in a room full of divas. Eventually it was Santana who said it.

"Okay, Hummel. We all know you guys broke up, Hobbit over there already told us," fakely horrified gasps of 'Santana echoed around the room, "so are you going to tell us what happened or should I speculate?"

From her spot with her head in Kurt's lap, Brit asked, "Wait! you and Blaine Warbler broke up? But you were the dolphin to his unicorn!"

He stroked her hair soothingly, "Brit… We both did some stuff we regret. There is just too many mistakes to keep going."

"That's BS, Lady face! We both know that I have no problem seeing your relationship crash and burn, but don't lie or try to simplify things for my girlfriend, she is a genius! And I will go all Lima Heights on your ass-"

"Santana, its okay babe."

Brittany grabbed her hand and they hand some mental conversation which ended in Santana shaking her head and going to 'grab something stronger to drink'.

"Kurt, what happened?" Tina asked from her perch on the armchair that Mercedes was comfortably seated in.

He focused on the task of Brit's silky as ever hair, "Our schedules are exact opposites and …. I got distracted. I hurt him, really badly. And we decided that we were too different now."

Rachel let out a long sigh, "Kuuuurt! This is NOT what I meant."

All at once, everyone started talking.

Mercedes - "Rahcel, what the _hell _did you say?!"

Tina- "But Blaine and you are the cutest. Work it out, like Mike and I did-"

Rachel- "I gave some perfectly _good advice_."

Brittany- "Oh my, Lord Tubbington Jr. has started smoking. I need to go call, I'll be back, boo."

Brit gave him a kiss on the cheek before getting up off the floor to go call her cat. As Kurt's eye scanned the room of arguing girls, one quiet voice silenced them all.

"I get it."

The three girls' head snapped to look at Quinn, their gazes narrowing like predators.

"_Excuse me_?"

"If this is some 'break up the best glee couple ever to get revenge because my life is hell' scheme, I swear I am going to kill you!"

"This is NOT what we were all decided to do! What is the point of making a plan if no one sticks to it!"

They all burst out in a vengeful torment, but Quinn looked at Kurt and ignored the Medusas' in her face.

"I understand what you are going through. The whole 'we have too much bad past to have a happy future'? In theory its all correct, and in most cases, its the most truthful advice."

Kurt recoiled slightly, hurt by her blunt words. This was all a pretty fresh wound and she had pretty effectively thrown salt in it. "But not in your case," she continued, "you and Blaine have been through hell. And instead of weakening you like it pretty damn well should have, it just made you stronger," envy started to creep into her voice as she finished off her thought.

Kurt was so shocked that he barely register that all three girls had stopped talking and were now staring at Quinn with gaping jaws. Quinn got up off the stool she'd been sitting on and walked into the kitchen, nearly knocking over Santana in her hurry.

"I don't know about you all, but I want to get drunk. Beer?"

They all nodded, and Kurt tipped his back with vigor.

The world felt a little heavy when Kurt opened his eyes. So he decided to keep them closed, it wasn't like he was needed for anything anyway, he was on vacation.

_BANG!_

_OWW! Ok, hiding from the world isn't gonna work…. but why does my head hurt so much?_

"Kurt! Oh good, you're up. Can you help me with Santana, possibly?"

Kurt nodded dumbly, opening his eyes just enough to see Mike. As much as he wanted to crawl back up and go to sleep, the couch he was on wasn't exactly comfortable and no one deserved to handle a hungover Santana on their own. What he didn't expect was to walk into Mike and Tina's tiny backyard and find a very much still _drunk _Santana.

"Oh goodness! What did I ever do to you, Universe?" he called out lazily at the sight of Santana terrorizing the neighbors cat.

"Kurrtttyy-pooo!" Santana's attention had been caught at his comment.

He rolled his eyes and tried to stay in the shade as he walked over to her. "Ohhhh, someone is HUNG OVER!"

"Oh god, Santana! Have mercy!"

Mike had skillfully disappeared, and Kurt cursed his own kindness.

"Listen, Santana. You're tired aren't you? You want to go to bed? Want me to find Brittany?"

She laughed at him and stumbled the last few steps till she pushed him backwards into the hammock. Giving up, he decided to just let her wear herself out. She curled against him in a ball and he lazily closed his eyes against the rising sun. "What happened, Hummel?"

She was humming under her breath as she started to trace the muscles in his stomach. He debated giving her a false story or a nothing, but decided that he needed someone to talk to and Santana was far too drunk to remember any of this later, right?

"I broke his heart," she hummed knowingly, so he continued, "after his dad died, he kind of put a wall between him and everyone else. I guess I got too tired of trying to find a way in, so I let the distance grow. But I still longed for that love and security that our relationship had provided."

This was the hard part, the part where he had screwed up. Santana, who had started to drift off, lolled by his story, made a noise of discontentment and nudged him in the ribs. "I met this guy, Austin, and he liked me. I knew it all along, but I convinced myself that we were just friends and it wasn't cheating if I didn't do anything physical. But that wasn't true, and I knew it every time I avoided Blaine because of the guilt it cost me to look him in the eye. Austin made me feel good about myself, and for some reason I started to resent Blaine. The man I had _always_ loved, it was crazy. He did this to us, I told myself, never once did I think of what it would've been like if I'd lost _my_ dad."

"I lost the man I loved, because I was a self-centered jerk."

"Dont be so hard on yourself, Porcelain. Everyone makes mistakes, its what we make of the aftermath that defines us as people. You love Blaine, right?"

Kurt was so shocked by her sudden soberness that he just nodded dumbly. "Good, then go win him back."

His continued stare only caused her to snap, "Don't look so surprised, I wasn't drunk at 7 am in the morning. I needed to get the story out of you, so I pretended."

She shrugged modestly, "If there is one couple on this earth that I know is gonna last, its you two. Despite what everyone thinks, you and Blaine were the core of Glee, not hobbit and man-boobs. You were what made me go after Brittany."

He shifted as best he could and attempted to hug her, "Thank you, Santana."

"You're welcome, Kurt."

They both laughed as Kurt said musingly, "That is the first time I've heard you use my first name, you know."

She smiled mischievously, "Don't get used to it. Now, what's the plan? Skinny jeans and sorry isn't gonna cut it. Sure, mistakes don't define us but you still messed up pretty bad."

Rachel downed the water in her hand, thankful that advil was now in her system. She picked up her phone and sent a quick text to Finn letting him now she was up. As she set down her phone she nearly dropped the glass in her hand. Kurt and Santana were huddled together on the hammock, talking intensely. She rubbed her eyes to make sure that she wasn't still drunk. But there was no doubt that through the kitchen window, there was the definite sight of Kurt and Santana plan something _together._

Her buzzing phone did nothing to snap her out of her reverie, until Tina snapped annoyed, "Are you going to get that, Rachel?"

She muttered a quick apology and answered the call, "Hello?"

"Rachel?"

_Was that Blaine?_

"Blaine?"

"Yeah… umm, are you with Kurt?"

"Yea, no. Well, sort of…. why?"

"Oh, well I've been trying to get ahold of him, but he hasn't answered and I was getting kind of worried."

The unspoken _know that we are back in Lima_ hung between them. Rachel made a choice right then, that she was sure she would either lose her her best friend or help him get the best thing back in his life "Are you available to meet at the Lima Bean in about an hour?"

"Don't make me laugh, Hummel! You can't do something like 'Come What May' and expect him to chime in! It's got to be something better than that!"

"Well, the way I see it I can either redo a song that has meaning to both of us, or I can do one we have always said we'd do together," Kurt exclaimed in exasperation.

"OR you could do a song that express how YOU feel! Look what you're doing to me! You're making me sound like Mr. Schue!"

"Mr. Schue! That's it! You're a genuis, Santana!"

She looked at him, seriously alarmed, "If you're actually thinking of asking that classic rock loving, unromantic, curly haired, unoriginal traitor, you've seriously lost your mind!"

"Santana! It's a job, all the rest of us have come to terms with Mr. Schue's new job. You need to as well!"

Kurt got off the hammock and stormed into the house. As he passed the couch, he grabbed his sweater and waved goodbye to everyone's still out-of-it expressions. His continue headache made him decide that coffee was the best remedy for his hangover at this point. Pulling into the Lima Bean he looked into the window and stopped mid-motion. Sitting at their table was Blaine and across from him was Rachel.

Without even thinking he put the car into reverse and went home. Blocking all thoughts from his head he went inside and then descended the staircase to his room. Sitting down on his bed, he was trying to keep from hyperventilating. His vacant look must have alarmed Carole, because seconds after his door opened and she softly came down into his room.

One of the reasons Kurt loved Carole so much was that she understood him. She knew when he needed a shoulder to cry on, when he needed someone to talk to and when he just needed some ice cream and Moulin Rouge. At the moment, Kurt didn't even know what he needed, but apparently Carole did. She sat down next to him and asked softly, "What happened?"

He nodded slowly and tried to keep the lump in his throat down. She pulled him into her arms and he sobbed the whole story out. From what happened in New York, to Santana's idea and finally what he saw at the Lima Bean. She shushed him soothingly, "Hon, you are assuming the worst of your best friend. I know just as well as you that Rachel is ambitious, but what does she have to gain from this? What is a more logical explanation?"

"That she is trying to be friends with both of us, throwing me, her _best friend_ under the bus!"

"Kurt! Rachel was probably do something for you, ok? Why don't you wait till she gets home and ask her about it yourself."

With that she kissed his forehead, and left him with his lay on his stomach, letting his tears dry on the comforter for a while.

His growling stomach made him forget his musings. Looking up at the clock, he realized that he hadn't eaten at all that day. He went to the kitchen and made himself a salad. His fork kept stabbing his salad so viciously, that when Finn came whistling into the room, he took one look at Kurt and his lunch and backed away. Trying to distract himself from his best friends seemingly obvious betrayal, he turned on the tv and watch some Gilmore Girls.

When he heard Rachel's car pull up an hour later, he turned off the tv and stared fixedly at a picture on the wall. Rachel walked into the house smiling. Spotting Kurt's murderous expression her smile dropped. "Please, tell me that you were only meeting with him to ask him not to come to the wedding. Cause that is the only reason I can come up with for my _best friend_ to be having coffee _behind my back_ with my _ex-fiancée!"_

He had started out with a dead whisper, but by the end he was sounding more and more hysterical. Rachel tried to hold back the tears on her face, "Kurt…"

Never once had his eyes left the picture on the wall and as Rachel followed his line of sight, she saw what was in the picture; Kurt and her had just gotten their NYC apartment fully furnished, Finn had come to visit and both her and Kurt were sitting on their couch with her legs on his lap. They were laughing as she smudged cookie dough on his face, and he was singing _Soaking Up the Sun _by Sheryl Crow. It honestly felt like her heart was breaking. "Kurt, please."

"Yes or no, Rachel."

Tears were running down her face now, but she gathered her courage, "No, I wasn't telling him he couldn't come to my wedding. But-"

It was no use, he was already gone. Rachel collapsed onto her knees, crying her eyes out. And that's where Finn found her 5 minutes later.

**To: Kurt**

_Meet me at Dalton in 30 min?_

**From: Kurt**

_Sure_

Blaine let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. This was actually going to work, he was giving him a chance. But this made no sense after what Rachel had told him. Why was Kurt furious and hurt by Rachel but not at him?

Only half an hour would tell.

Kurt drove in silence. He pulled over at Lima Heights, and Santana opened his door. "Look, Kurt-"

"I decided on a song."

She tried not to show surprise, "Oh? Feel like sharing?"

"No."

"As long as Mr. Schue didn't pick it, good luck."

He just nodded and they continued in silence. Both understood that talking was not necessary. It was what came from his heart that mattered.

"okaay… whew…"

Blaine shook out his hands and David laughed at him. "Dude, you are acting as if this is your wedding day! Relax!"

Blaine looked at him incredulously, "You realize this is ten times worse than my wedding, right?! On my wedding I will be getting everything, now I am attempting to _regain_ everything. Kurt is my world-"

"And he won't stop loving you or start loving you because of _one song!_ Sure, music is powerful and all that crap, but your guys love is a ton lot deeper than that!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," he turned around and sat down at the piano, totally missing Davids devious smirk.

"I'll be outside, ok?"

Blaine nodded absently as he threw himself into the music again.

When the door opened minutes later, he didn't notice.

"_Let's go all the way tonight_

_No regrets, just love_

_We can dance, until we die_

_You and I, will be young forever"_

Finally he looked up and noticed the open door, as well as the person standing in it: Kurt. His fingers continued to play, of their own accord and Kurt's melodious voice continuing to accompany him. At the chorus he jumped in;

_You make me feel_

_Like I'm livin' a_

_Teenage Dream_

_The way you turn me on_

_I can't sleep_

_Let's run away and _

_Don't ever look back_

_Don't ever look back_

They finished the song, keeping eye contact, but remaining exactly where they started.

When the last notes had been played, Blaine started, "Kurt-"

But he stopped him, "You got a chance to sing your song, now it's my turn."

In walked Rachel, who sat down at the piano taking over for Blaine. Puck and Sam came in carrying their guitars and Finn sat down at a drumset that Blaine hadn't even notice David put there. Lastly Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Tina and Mercedes walked in and stood to the side, waiting to sing back up.

Kurt grabbed his hands and lead him over to a stool that someone (most likely Santana) had brought in. "I'm gonna sing first and talk later, okay?"

He nodded, not giving Blaine a chance to answer. Anyone looking at Kurt would've seen a confident, natural-born singer, but Blaine also saw all the nerves hiding under his 'stage face'.

When I first saw you, I said

Oh my, that's a dream, that's my dream

Oh, I needed a dream when it all seemed to go bad

Then I find you and I have had the most beautiful dreams

Any man's ever had

It was taking all of Blaine's restraint to keep from reaching out and grabbing his hands.

When I first saw you, I said

Oh my, that's my dream, that's my dream

I needed a dream to make me strong

You are the only reason I had to go on

You are my dream, all the things that I'll never know

You are my dream who could believe they would ever come true

And who would believe the world will believe in my dreams too

Before you were here life was only a game

And day in and day out were the same, oh

Now the dream's coming true like a star see it shine

A dream that is yours, that is mine

Kurt poured all his love and regret into the lyrics, hoping against all odds that Blaine would understand. And Blaine couldn't stand it anymore, he got up and grabbed his hands, pulling him close. They finished the song wrapped up in each other, softly swaying to the music.

You are my dream

(Now I've got dreams that will matter)

All the things I can never be

(Dreams you'll never know)

Oh, you won't take my dreams from me

When I saw you, oh, I said, Oh my

I said, Oh my, that's my dream

Kurt pulled back and grabbed his hands, "Blaine you are the only man for me. My entire life, I will either be miserable without you or blissful with you. I literally can't live without you, because life without you _isn't living_. It's life, but it's not _living._ When we first started dating, we were high school students and neither of us are those people anymore. But I was wrong, I do still know you. My soul, its know your soul, and it won't _ever _forget no matter the circumstances. I love you Blaine Anderson, I love you so much that I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He got down on one knee and took the box that Rachel offered him. "Blaine, my warbler, my teenage dream, my one true love, my soulmate, will you marry me?"

Blaine pulled him up off his knees and kissed him soundly. As they kissed, Kurt slipped the ring onto his finger. Kurt mumbled against his lips, "Now we are even, we have both proposed. But this time _you are marrying me._"

Blaine just nodded happily, not ready to give up their embrace. They were forced to separate, though, when Mercedes cleared her throat and said, "as cute as you two are, I want a hug!"

Hugs and laughs were exchanged as everyone came together again. Hours were spent in the warbler choir room, exchanging stories and singing. Everyone was smiling and laughing, but none were so happy as Blaine as he looked at his fiancée.

That night as they drove home, Blaine asked if he was too tired to go for a little detour. Kurt smiled lovely and replied, "I'll go anywhere with you, loverboy."

As Blaine turned off the highway, they drove contently for 15 or so minutes till they had truly arrived in the middle of nowhere. Parking the car, Blaine reached into the trunk and grabbed a blanket. He quickly hopped around to the other side of the car and opened the door for Kurt. "Do you seriously keep picnic blankets in your trunk?"

Blaine smiled abashedly, "Yeah…."

Kurt just pulled him over and kissed him quickly. "So what's the plan, love?"

"Well, I thought we should maybe talk without everyone else, and I kind of wanted to look at the stars with you. Is that okay?"

Kurt nodded happily and they spread the blanket out on the grass. They laid down next to each other and gazed at the stars. "That was an amazing proposal, but I have some questions for you."

Kurt nodded, "Alright."

"Well, first off, I thought you were mad at Rachel?"

"Oh, that. Well, Finn ran across Rachel crying and he got SUPER pissed, so he came downstairs and told me off for being a jerk to his fiancée. He told me all about your plans and everything before Rachel could stop him, so of course I felt like a jerk. Then I told them about this plan that Santana and I had started, and Rachel jumped on board. Turns out we both had the same idea pretty much, except I couldn't decide on a song. Rachel helped with that and then she organized everyone coming to sing back-up too. Well, the three of us went ring shopping the next day and since I knew all the details of your plan, I one upped mine to a proposal. It really wasn't a hard decision either."

Blaine looked flabbergast, "okay, well…. what about two nights ago? I kept trying to get ahold of you, but I couldn't."

"Okay, well we had a girls night that Rachel dragged me to. Santana got us all drunk and then the next morning tricked me into telling her everything. That's when we started to hatch our plan."

"Alright lastly, when is the earliest you will marry me?" he asked cheekily.

Kurt rolled over till he was straddling him, trailing kisses up his chest and jawbone till he found his lips. At first it was sweet and innocent, the kind of lazy kiss that happens every day. The more their skin touched, though, the crazier it drove the other and it quickly developed into something more desperate as they both tried to make up for the months of lost contact. Blaine slowly started to reacquaint himself with Kurt's body, desperately kissing him all the while. Kurt's hands slid up Blaine's neck to his hair. His skilled fingers made quick work of the gel in his hair, freeing the curls that he loved so much. They kissed like the world was ending, but loved like they knew they'd last forever.

**alright, soooorrrryy y'all! Between bronchitis, christmas, new year and school: I've been busy with a capital B. Anyway though, CHRIS COLFER WON THE PCA! I know its old news and stuff but I haven't talked to you guys in awhile. Also, 6 DAYS TILL GLEE RETURNS! So let me know what you think, that was like the longest chapter evvvveeerrrr, but… come on… come on… it was good! :)**


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